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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Red Gingham in the Country

Hey friends, I'm back! And I missed you! Jeff and I had a lovely weekend away, but it's good to be home again. I have lots of things to show you, but I thought I'd start with this little outfit I made. I wore it hiking one day, and Jeff couldn't stop giggling at me. I think it had something to do with the fact that I was wearing this - along with my braided up-do and coordinating red lipstick - in a state park surrounded by crunchy nature types. Let's just say I stood out.

I made the shorts from my trouser pattern that I drafted in my class with Kenneth King, but styled them after a 50s shorts pattern I own. I'm still getting the trick of drafting and applying waistbands, and this one ended up a tad too loose. More practice to come!

The blouse is made from Simplicity 2121 and it was fun to sew up.

But I slightly resemble a picnic table.

This is me appreciating nature.

The gingham checks are lovingly, perfectly matched on the tops of the kimono sleeves, but it was impossible to get a match on the underside and side seams as well. Sometimes you have to pick your battles.

After we left the park, we went to some antique shops in town and I swapped out my sneakers for beige sandals and a matching vintage pocketbook. I felt rather smart!

More vacation shots to come. I did a little shopping that I think will be of interest to you!

59 comments:

Ohhh, you look divine! My mum has always made fun of me since the day she asked me to come outside and help her move rocks in the garden and I went out wearing a pretty day dress. "It's Better to be looked over than over looked," as they say!

I'm so glad you're back--I really missed your posts. ;) You look so, so gorgeous! The fit of everything is beautiful. Heck, it's good to see another gal who "overdresses" while doing outdoor activities--I do it all the time. ;) Plus, you do it with such panache!

There's no rule on the books that people have to look a mess when they are out in the country. That's a great outfit for a walk in the park and if the 'sweatpants and flipflops set' were wowed by you, then good on you (and they should 'up' their country sartorial game as well). I, too am attracted to red this year - I'm in the middle of making a red dress and red shorts are definitely on my list of summer sewing.

Love the ensemble! If you were wearing cat's eye glasses, I'd swear I was seeing my mom from years ago. Sure do miss her. umm, polarfleece and hiking boots are de rigeur here in Oregon, land of crunchy nature lovers. It's a style I embrace.

My sig. other loves nature types of stuff and I never fit in with the bird watchers or the hikers. He also love golf and I don't fit in there either. And you know, I don't think it's a bad thing. I think it's great that you can go for a hike in an outfit you feel fabulous in.

Is constructive criticism okay? Personally, I think the outfit would have looked more vintage and less costume-y if the shirt was made using a smaller gingham print. Also, I agree with you that the shorts have too much of a gap at the waist. Is it okay to play the devil's advocate sometimes in this blog's comment section?

Adorable outfit! You look so bright and fresh, the red really pops against the greenery in the background. I'd so much rather be overdressed and look cute, than underdressed and feel sloppy. Can't wait to see more of your vacation looks, welcome back!!

Adorable! This is a cute summer outfit perfectly suitable for your hike and antique shopping. Gingham on a smaller scale perhaps would make the underside and side seams less noticeable, but hey, if you like the larger scale, that's what you like.

What I wear hiking stands out too. Not many people in skirts on the trails here, especially wearing ballet flats. Too bad I didn't bother with my hair and lipstick that day. I would have been far more put together. Oh well, next time...

wow you did an amazing job!i found you from colette patterns! i am a new sewer and love to get any helpful tips i can to stick in my sewing tool belt..hehe... i look forward to reading more of your posts! i just recently made my first gingham skirt: http://thecitybirdsnest.blogspot.com/2010/06/little-blue-picinic.html